Anotai

Veggie food and bakery with air conditioning. Offers Thai and international cuisine (mostly Italian), and in-house-made cakes and desserts. Nice presentation, comfortable setting. English on the menu. Direction: Take subway to Rama 9 station, then a short taxi ride, and it's located in a double row of shop houses next to Rama 9 Hospital. Tell taxi to go to Rama 9 Hospital. You will turn into a small street, pass through an open gate, hospital will be on your right, the shophouses will be on your left. Go straight 100m til you see a driveway coming out of the shophouses. Turn left up the driveway, and Anotai is in the center of block. There is a Thai map on their website which you can give to the driver.Price:Moderatemore-less

The best Thai veggie food in Bangkok!

5

Posted on 07 / 23 / 2012

This is the very first and absolutely the best veggie dining experiences in Bangkok. It took a while for us to find Anotai which is near the hospital.It has a very delicate design, the food is very tasty. The staff is very cute and friendly. I highly recommend vegetarians to experience!!

Up there with the best in Bangkok

4

Posted on 07 / 16 / 2011

After a string of negative experiences we were beginning to lose our challenging spirit when it came to dinnertime... are we in for another dose of MSG slosh? We were almost tempted to go with a proven standard, since energy levels had been lagging from so much low quality food.

Well Anotai was a good find, thankfully! We suspected we might be in for a good experience when we saw the drinks list was extensive and included a vast array of interesting teas and juices that we'd never even heard of. And when they arrived - hooray! They were good. (The butterfly pea tea is naturally bright blue!)

We ordered some tempeh tempura with a sweet and sour-ish sauce (admittedly not Thai but fabulous all the same), a vege & tofu stir-fry with basil/chili (great too!), a green curry (the only curry on the menu unfortunately.. taste was quite sweet so not quite as sophisticated as some, but pleasant nonetheless), vermicelli noodles with gravy (Chinese inspired and not extremely flavoursome but absent of MSG and still enjoyable), and some brown rice. It all went down very quickly since we felt like it was the first 'real' food in ages!

Although we really should have stopped there, we couldn't resist trying some of the plentiful desserts - all Western style (we wish they did some Thai desserts!). We tried some scones (lime zest and butterfly pea) and a peach/berry crumble with passionfruit ice-cream. They were all nice but too sweet for our tastes - but then we don't eat many Western style sweets as they're all like that really so we're probably not the best judge of what other people would think of them.

The staff all seemed like they wanted to be somewhere else and were reluctant in their help at times although the owner was more than happy to call us a taxi so we didn't have to walk in the rain to find one.

The decor was lovely though and the presentation of the dishes was top notch. Location is very near to Water Drop Teahouse but the standard of the food couldn't be more different.. we'll be back at Anotai to try some more dishes. The organic vegetable salad is high on the list for next time.

Not so happy

2

Posted on 11 / 23 / 2010

Location : not so difficult to find, very close to Rama9 hospital. But in the middle of nowhere. Taking a taxi is mandatory.
Good food but nothing exceptional. We have been in at least 5 vegetarian restaurant as good as this one in Chiang Mai.
We were 2 in the restaurant for 8 or more staff in the house. But the staff was awfully unfriendly.
The price is rather expensive for Thailand. 10% extra charge was taken without any mention of it on the menus or the bill.
This place doesn't worth the trip to the middle of nowhere, in our opinion.

WOW!

5

Posted on 08 / 07 / 2010

Our expectations were surpassed despite having read the great reviews on here. This is a hidden gem of Bangkok. We had:
Spicy aubergine dip (with amazing things to dip in it)
2 glasses of beetroot and passionfruit juice
spinach and shitake mushroom lasagne
best green curry in Thailand
chocolate cherry fudge melt cake with banana and peanut ice cream
blueberry cheesecake
for about 800 baht
We went back the next day.. wonderful again. We'll be going back again tomorrow.

Pros: healthy, delicious, outstanding Cons: hard to find, but you can find it!, just get the taxi driver to call them!

liked it, wanted to love it

4

Posted on 04 / 26 / 2010

hunting it down with a taxi required multiple calls to the restaurant (and it seems like very few taxi drivers even know where Rama 9 is!).

very pleasant decor, nice service... the tempeh tempura I had was a bit undercooked though, and the tom yam soup just didn't seem right to me. fried rice was good, but not great or especially special. I'm sure if I'd have had some other dishes it would've been a different story.

fantastic!!!!!!!!

5

Posted on 03 / 15 / 2010

We are so pleased we got to this fabulous hidden away restaurant in Bangkok. Just take a taxi they are so cheap and it takes you right there.We had the best meal in our 2 weeks in Thailand. My husband is not vegetarian but loved it! Just remember to leave room for dessert they are to die for. If we had longer in Bangkok we would have eaten there again. Make sure its on your list you won't regret it.

Great place, once we found it!

4

Posted on 12 / 25 / 2009

We eventually found Anotai - after a few conversations between the staff and our taxi driver. Once we reached the plaza the staff at Anotai were waiting outside to greet us - goood job as the lights outside were not working so we couldn't see the name of the restaurant (it was early evening). The staff happily explained which dishes on the menu were vegan - not as many as I'd hoped for. We did enjoy the deep fried tofu and the amazing dip! My prayers were answered when I found out the fruit crumble (berry crisp) was in fact vegan too! An enjoyable meal, although it was a bit of a trek to get there from the centre of Bangkok.

Great All Around

5

Posted on 01 / 26 / 2009

Tucked away in a plaza located directed across the street from the Rama 9 Hospital, this little gem has it all. Nice atmostphere, decent pricing for expats, and most of all great food. You can find cheaper but the pricing isn't anything you will feel in your pocket book if you are not on a tight budget. It is located in a bit of a trickery area but watch for the bold, green sign on the concrete light pole indicating where to turn into the plaza. Watch for the sign because Anotai is located in a boxed in plaza. Once you get into the plaza, make a left and there it is on the right.

Extraordinary Thai Veg Cuisine

5

Posted on 11 / 04 / 2008

Anotai is one of the best vegetarian dining experiences I've ever had while traveling. I got exactly what I wanted: exquisite food made with interesting local ingredients, that I could eat without worrying about accidentally ingesting fish guts or chicken blood or whatever nastiness seems to be lurking in the food in countries where I can't speak the language.

Let me first address the negatives which others have posted here. We actually went to Anotai three times (the first time was a Wednesday and it was closed - I see the HappyCow folks have noted that on the website now). Yes it is hard to find but not if you use the directions on the main listing which are quite good. Also it's easy to get a taxi from the nearby Radisson hotel to get home safely. It was well worth the (three) taxi fares. Yes, your meal will be expensive by Thai standards but still far less than I would have paid for comparable quality fare back home in New York. I thought I got a great deal.

While it's true that the staff's English is quite limited, the menu is printed in English.

And now for the positives!

The decor is soothing, calming, and mellow. Both times we visited, there were not many diners so the staff was quite attentive. The food is the draw though - simply extraordinary. We only ordered from the Thai part of the menu as we wanted to try Thai food, not Italian. Some of my favorites included:

And of course you have to try the Butterfly Pea Tea mentioned in another review. It's really special.

Desserts are also a major treat, although generally not vegan. They change all the time so pick what looks good, but do try to sample a home made ice cream or sorbet in awfully interesting flavors like Peach-Mint sherbet or Blood Orange Sorbet. We also really enjoyed several chocolate-based treats (two kinds of brownies, both excellent) which can be served with a scoop of home made coffee ice cream. Heaven!

I would go back to Bangkok in a heartbeat just to have another dinner at Anotai. Fantastic place.

Amazing dishes

5

Posted on 07 / 21 / 2008

Wish I could go back a few more times...
Just get to Praram (Rama) 9 Hospital and ask from there.
It's the kind of place you can fall in love with. Up there in overall greatness with Maman Terrace in Osaka, Japan.

Pleasant atmosphere, creative & tasty food

5

Posted on 09 / 25 / 2007

Despite everyone saying how difficult it is to find, we had no problem by following the directions on the main page (to the letter).

On a Monday evening at 7:30, we were the only diners there (for half an hour), and the staff attended us quickly and courteously. They don't speak English, but the menus are bilingual, so if you don't speak Thai you can note what you want by pointing to it.

The restaurant is air-conditioned, and the decor is a relaxing blend of wood and natural-looking elements... a nice change of pace from the traditional crowded dining halls and open restaurants with fluorescent lighting.

We had:
- The oft-recommended Spaghetti Carbonara with Tomato Cream Sauce. Not an overly large portion, but beautifully presented with a basil garnish. Very tasty -- especially the meat substitute. It's a little bit over-dominated by the taste of the Thai basil and black pepper, but I would still probably order it again (after trying other dishes). My suggestion to the chef would be to reduce the basil and pepper a bit and add more garlic-butter flavor.
- Enoki-apple-vegetable rolls. Very fresh-tasting and creative. We'd definitely order it again.
- Stir-fried coconut sprouts with (purple) rice. Tasty, with lemongrass and a hint of galangal... one of us liked it enough to want to order it again, the other not so hot on it, but still enjoyed it.
- Stir-fried vermicelli, Thai style - a nice mix of fresh-tasting vegetables. The vermicelli tastes like it might be made from brown rice, i.e. very healthy. Takes a bit of getting used to.
- Sesame milk: An odd, chalky flavor. Something exotic and different to drink. I enjoyed it but wouldn't go for it again.
- Hibiscus juice: Nice and refreshing. I'll get that next time.
- Chewy cherry chocolate cake: Verrrry nice. We should have got it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- Blood orange sorbet: Also very nice, with little chunks of fruit. Tangy, not overly sweet.
- Cappuccino

They have an amazing-looking selection of desserts, including unusual items like rose-petal scones, clafouti, and "chocolate-chip pizza."

Total for all of the above: 810 baht. One of the more expensive meals we've had in Bangkok, but we ate a lot, and it was a nice break from the same-old fare and we wouldn't call it overpriced (85-110 baht per dish). We'd definitely go back again.

Pros: Excellent food, Relaxing environment, Quick, courteous service Cons: Costs a bit more to get really full

My most favourite in Bangkok

5

Posted on 06 / 15 / 2007

It's like an oasis, both in terms of the restaurant and the food. All the veg comes from their own organic farm and it feels good to eat. Try out SomTum (papaya salad), NaamPrig (Chilli Paste), Fried Tofu, Stir-fry PugWan..... and do not ever ever go there without eating the dessert! Especially great are the fig puddings, brownies, all their homemade ice cream (with no additives!). Don't know what I would do without Anotai....

Pros: Amazing Food, Great Atmosphere, Great desserts Cons: hard to find 1st time